- Email: [email protected]
H2O Innovation signs contracts worth C$8.8 million
NEWS/IN BRIEF nologies. Our aim was to develop a zero energy, dependable, low-tech, affordable and sustainable water filtration unit that could be cleaned easily and used again and again – needing no replacement parts.’ ‘Not only did we fulfil these requirements, but we also found it to be an extremely effective pre-filter for reverse osmosis systems with its ultrafiltration capabilities, and the highest water flux of any membrane material.’ ‘We are proud to have worked with LiqTech International to bring this unit to the market as it will add credibility to anyone with a green profile and provides clean drinking-water for people suffering from polluted drinking water.’ Contacts: LiqTech International A/s, Industriparken 22C, DK-2750 Ballerup, Denmark. Tel: +45 4498 6000, www.liqtech.com Time Solution, Hyldemosen 49, 2730 Herlev, Denmark. Tel: +45 2812 4569, www.timesolution.dk
Microdyn-Nadir launches BIO-CEL XL and receives order
G
ermany’s Microdyn-Nadir GmbH used IFAT 2014, an international trade fair covering wastewater and waste disposal technologies, to launch its BIO-CEL XL – the new, larger version of its BIO-CEL submerged module for membrane bioreactors (MBRs). The company, which received its first order for the system during the show, says BIO-CEL XL has a total membrane area of 1900 m2, and has been developed specifically for large-scale applications with a total inflow (to the MBR plant) of wastewater to be treated of more than 2000 m3/d. According to the firm, this system has been designed to ensure efficient operation of largescale plants and to make it easier for MBR plant operators to install modules. Contact: Microdyn-Nadir GmbH, Industrial Park Kalle Albert, Building D512, Kasteler Straße 45, 65203 Wiesbaden, Germany. Tel: +49 611 962 6001, www.microdyn-nadir.de
H2O Innovation signs contracts worth C$8.8 million
C
anada’s H2O Innovation Inc, which specialises in custom-built, and
July 2014
integrated water-treatment systems based on membrane filtration technology, has announced that it has been awarded new contracts totalling C$8.8 million. Amongst the contracts announced, the most significant is for a hollow-fibre ultrafiltration (UF) membrane system – rated at 113 562 m3 (30 million gallons) a day – to replace the existing conventional Montevina Water Treatment Plant (WTP) owned and operated by San Jose Water Co, California. The Montevina WTP will treat rainfall collected in the Santa Cruz Mountains watershed and provide potable water to the Town of Los Gatos and surrounding West Valley communities. For this design–build project, H2O Innovation is teaming up with HDR Constructors Inc, and is responsible for the design, fabrication, installation and commissioning of the new UF system. The company says that it was selected from a group that included three other bidders as the proposed system had the most attractive net present value for the end-user when considering both the initial capital cost and long-term operating cost. The UF system will incorporate 840 of Inge’s Dizzer modules, based on robust Multibore fibres, using the T-Rack 3.0 configuration. Prior to the final design and fabrication of the full-scale system, a proof pilot will be performed to validate the power consumption, chemical consumption and membrane performance. ‘This system will be our largest UF reference and shows one more time that our strategy to be able to offer different UF modules is appreciated and valued by our customers, and is increasingly popular in the industry,’ stated David Faber, Director, Systems Sales, USA, H2O Innovation. The second most significant contract is to be executed in close collaboration with Canadian engineering firm Groupe SM International (SMi). SMi, well-established in North Africa, has teamed up with H2O Innovation to supply one of its institutional customers in Maghreb with 15 mobile water-treatment units. Equipped with media filtration, reverse osmosis, UV and chlorination, the robust trailers will be able to purify water from different sources. Each unit will treat approximately 10 500 gallons (40 m3) of water per day. Finally, the company will supply membrane filtration equipment for two potable water-treatment plants and one wastewater treatment plant for clients located in Manitoba and Quebec. ‘As the company’s backlog for water treatment projects is growing steadily, the average project value is also increasing. This trend is clearly showing that our decision to expand the water-
In Brief BluMetric wins environmental engineering services contract Canadian cleantech company BluMetric Environmental Inc has announced that its Professional Services Division has been awarded an extension and increase of scope for a large existing environmental engineering services contract with Vale Canada Ltd, worth more than C$2.5 million over two years. The firm will be conducting semi-annual monitoring and reporting for more than 1000 groundwater monitoring wells in Sudbury, Shebandowan and Port Colborne, Ontario. In addition, it will create a fully graphical database package that will enable Vale Canada to manage all of its groundwater and surface-water data. Saltworks Technologies announces ConocoPhillips as an investor Saltworks Technologies has received investment funding from ConocoPhillips Co, making the Houston-based exploration and production company Saltworks’ third major industrial shareholder. Saltworks Technologies designs, manufactures and assembles systems for desalination, brine management and chemical recovery applications. With its investment, ConocoPhillips joins two of Canada’s leading resource and energy companies as an equity investor in Saltworks: Teck Resources Ltd, Canada’s largest diversified resource company; and Cenovus Energy Inc, a Canadian oil company. Dow Filmtec ECO RO elements receive award Dow Water & Process Solutions (DW & PS), a business unit of US-based Dow Chemical Co, has received a prestigious Edison Award – in the Energy/Sustainability and Commercial Resource Management category – for its Filmtec ECO reverse osmosis (RO) elements. The firm says the judging committee recognised Filmtec ECO technology for its ability to significantly reduce the energy required to remove impurities from water. This award quickly follows the company’s move to designate these RO elements as its second ‘Breakthrough to a World Challenge’. Nephros announces commercial placement of its haemodiafiltration system Nephros Inc, a commercial stage medical device company that develops high performance liquid purification ultrafilters and an on-line mid-dilution haemodiafiltration system for the treatment of chronic renal failure patients, has announced the first commercial use of its haemodiafiltration (HDF) system in the USA. DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc is now delivering HDF treatment to select patients in Colorado Springs as part of a six-month trial programme. The firm says this marks the first commercial delivery of on-line HDF via the Nephros HDF system in the USA.
Membrane Technology
3
NEWS treatment project sales team in North America is having a positive impact on the company’s growth,’ said Frédéric Dugré, President and Chief Executive Officer, H2O Innovation. ‘This backlog coupled with on-going sales in the Specialty Products and Services division gives the company the ability to have a more efficient, more productive and, we believe, more profitable business operation.’ Contact: H2O Innovation Inc, 420 Boulevard Charest Est, Suite 240, Québec City, Québec, Canada G1K 8M4. Tel: +1 418 688 0170, www.h2oinnovation.com
MBR with MACarrier technology targets tough-to-treat wastewater
G
eneral Electric Co (GE) has introduced a new membrane bioreactor (MBR) with a membrane accommodating carrier (MACarrier) that is designed to help industrial companies meet stringent water discharge requirements and enable greater water reuse, whilst achieving cost-savings and increased operating efficiency. Developed by GE’s technology centre in China, specifically to deal with water that is difficult to treat, this system combines a highly efficient MACarrier with GE’s ZeeWeed 500D membranes. This integration enhances the removal of recalcitrant organics and toxicity, and can achieve a chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction of more than 50% compared with a MBR without the MACarrier, says the firm. In addition, the ability of the MACarrier to be biologically regenerated in the bioreactor cuts down on operational costs. ‘Our new MBR with MACarrier provides a system for treating wastewater that is high in COD, toxicity, BOD 5, phenols and other contaminants – in other words tough-totreat wastewater,’ said Yuvbir Singh, General Manager, Engineered Systems, Water and Process Technologies, GE Power & Water. ‘We are proud of this new innovation that helps our industrial customers safely discharge and reuse their wastewater.’ The MACarrier is a carbon-based product that is tailored for use with ZeeWeed 500D membranes and its efficacy for recalcitrant COD removal. The combined system draws together three technologies: the MACarrier that enhances the removal of COD, toxicity, phenols and other contaminates found in wastewa4
Membrane Technology
ter; the bioreactor, which removes suspended colloidal solids and reduces organic content and concentrations of nutrients; and membrane filtration as a physical membrane barrier to remove microorganisms found in wastewater. Contact: GE Water & Process Technologies, 4636 Somerton Road, Trevose, PA 19053-6783, USA. Tel: +1 215 355 3300, www.gewater.com
Cell processor features non-pelletising, membrane filtration
F
resenius Kabi, a global health care company that specialises in lifesaving medicines and technologies for infusion, transfusion and clinical nutrition, introduced its Lovo cell-processing system at the 2014 International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) annual meeting. Lovo, which is designed for laboratories, is described as an automated “cell-washing” system that removes supernatant from target cells and stores them in viable media. Lovo automates the labour-intensive tasks of separation, washing, platelet-depletion, fluid-exchange and concentration of living cells. The system includes singleuse, pre-sterilised processing sets for sterility assurance and is designed for use in a cGMP environment. According to Fresenius Kabi, the system’s proprietary spinning membrane technology, with intelligent auto-dilution, enables nonpelletising cell concentration, and a reduction in manual resuspension – all whilst maintaining low cell loss and good viability. It is currently undergoing evaluation for a broad range of cell therapy applications, says the firm. ‘We continue to evaluate the Lovo system for multiple applications, and the interim data we are seeing for T-cells has been consistent with the results to wash and concentrate white blood cells,’ said William Cork, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Medical Devices, Fresenius Kabi. ‘Fresenius Kabi will continue to test and evaluate the use of the Lovo across a variety of cell therapy applications and generate data this year on the operation, performance and usability of the device.’ In addition to the automated washing of white blood cells, the firm is evaluating red blood cell and bone marrow processing applications. Data presented at the 2013 ISCT demonstrated a 99% reduction of supernatant in a 200-ml source product in less than seven min-
utes. Lovo’s output volume ranges from 50 ml to 5 l, depending on cell type, cell concentration and source volume. (The 2013 data were collected using a prototype instrument.) Fresenius Kabi says that following the introduction of Lovo at ISCT, it anticipates launching it in the USA during the second half of 2014. It will be marketed to academic medical centres, biotechnology companies, blood centres and facilities that process cells for clinical trials. ‘Quality, consistency and speed are essential to institutions worldwide that process cells for patient care and research,’ added Christian Hauer, President, Medical Devices, Fresenius Kabi. ‘Lovo will automate time-consuming manual processes for faster, easier and more consistent results, and it offers the enhanced flexibility to process different cell lines.’ Contact: Fresenius Kabi USA, Three Corporate Drive, Lake Zurich, Il 60047, USA. Tel: +1 847 550 2300, www.fresenius-kabi.us/lovo
Abengoa acquires 25% of Chinese water company GreenTech
S
pain’s Abengoa Sa, which applies innovative technology in the energy and environmental sectors to promote sustainability, has acquired 25% of Beijing-based water company GreenTech. Established in 2004, GreenTech is a leader in wastewater treatment and reuse, and its current clients include companies from both the municipal and industrial sectors. The company claims that it has over 40 references in water treatment, with a combined capacity of around 2.1 million m3 per day. Abengoa, which considers China to be a key market in its long-term strategy, says it was responsible for the design, construction, and finance of the first desalination plant in the country – contracted under a public–private partnership model. The reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant is located in Qingdao, and is currently under contract to be sold to Abengoa’s local partner, Qingdao Water Group. Through the investment in GreenTech Abengoa will consolidate and expand its presence in China and reinforce its position in the global water-treatment market. In addition, it will continue to consolidate its strong position in the water sector through activities developed in the USA, Latin America, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Ghana, China, India and Spain.
July 2014
Microdyn-Nadir launches BIO-CEL XL and receives order
G
ermany’s Microdyn-Nadir GmbH used IFAT 2014, an international trade fair covering wastewater and waste disposal technologies, to launch its BIO-CEL XL – the new, larger version of its BIO-CEL submerged module for membrane bioreactors (MBRs). The company, which received its first order for the system during the show, says BIO-CEL XL has a total membrane area of 1900 m2, and has been developed specifically for large-scale applications with a total inflow (to the MBR plant) of wastewater to be treated of more than 2000 m3/d. According to the firm, this system has been designed to ensure efficient operation of largescale plants and to make it easier for MBR plant operators to install modules. Contact: Microdyn-Nadir GmbH, Industrial Park Kalle Albert, Building D512, Kasteler Straße 45, 65203 Wiesbaden, Germany. Tel: +49 611 962 6001, www.microdyn-nadir.de
H2O Innovation signs contracts worth C$8.8 million
C
anada’s H2O Innovation Inc, which specialises in custom-built, and
July 2014
integrated water-treatment systems based on membrane filtration technology, has announced that it has been awarded new contracts totalling C$8.8 million. Amongst the contracts announced, the most significant is for a hollow-fibre ultrafiltration (UF) membrane system – rated at 113 562 m3 (30 million gallons) a day – to replace the existing conventional Montevina Water Treatment Plant (WTP) owned and operated by San Jose Water Co, California. The Montevina WTP will treat rainfall collected in the Santa Cruz Mountains watershed and provide potable water to the Town of Los Gatos and surrounding West Valley communities. For this design–build project, H2O Innovation is teaming up with HDR Constructors Inc, and is responsible for the design, fabrication, installation and commissioning of the new UF system. The company says that it was selected from a group that included three other bidders as the proposed system had the most attractive net present value for the end-user when considering both the initial capital cost and long-term operating cost. The UF system will incorporate 840 of Inge’s Dizzer modules, based on robust Multibore fibres, using the T-Rack 3.0 configuration. Prior to the final design and fabrication of the full-scale system, a proof pilot will be performed to validate the power consumption, chemical consumption and membrane performance. ‘This system will be our largest UF reference and shows one more time that our strategy to be able to offer different UF modules is appreciated and valued by our customers, and is increasingly popular in the industry,’ stated David Faber, Director, Systems Sales, USA, H2O Innovation. The second most significant contract is to be executed in close collaboration with Canadian engineering firm Groupe SM International (SMi). SMi, well-established in North Africa, has teamed up with H2O Innovation to supply one of its institutional customers in Maghreb with 15 mobile water-treatment units. Equipped with media filtration, reverse osmosis, UV and chlorination, the robust trailers will be able to purify water from different sources. Each unit will treat approximately 10 500 gallons (40 m3) of water per day. Finally, the company will supply membrane filtration equipment for two potable water-treatment plants and one wastewater treatment plant for clients located in Manitoba and Quebec. ‘As the company’s backlog for water treatment projects is growing steadily, the average project value is also increasing. This trend is clearly showing that our decision to expand the water-
In Brief BluMetric wins environmental engineering services contract Canadian cleantech company BluMetric Environmental Inc has announced that its Professional Services Division has been awarded an extension and increase of scope for a large existing environmental engineering services contract with Vale Canada Ltd, worth more than C$2.5 million over two years. The firm will be conducting semi-annual monitoring and reporting for more than 1000 groundwater monitoring wells in Sudbury, Shebandowan and Port Colborne, Ontario. In addition, it will create a fully graphical database package that will enable Vale Canada to manage all of its groundwater and surface-water data. Saltworks Technologies announces ConocoPhillips as an investor Saltworks Technologies has received investment funding from ConocoPhillips Co, making the Houston-based exploration and production company Saltworks’ third major industrial shareholder. Saltworks Technologies designs, manufactures and assembles systems for desalination, brine management and chemical recovery applications. With its investment, ConocoPhillips joins two of Canada’s leading resource and energy companies as an equity investor in Saltworks: Teck Resources Ltd, Canada’s largest diversified resource company; and Cenovus Energy Inc, a Canadian oil company. Dow Filmtec ECO RO elements receive award Dow Water & Process Solutions (DW & PS), a business unit of US-based Dow Chemical Co, has received a prestigious Edison Award – in the Energy/Sustainability and Commercial Resource Management category – for its Filmtec ECO reverse osmosis (RO) elements. The firm says the judging committee recognised Filmtec ECO technology for its ability to significantly reduce the energy required to remove impurities from water. This award quickly follows the company’s move to designate these RO elements as its second ‘Breakthrough to a World Challenge’. Nephros announces commercial placement of its haemodiafiltration system Nephros Inc, a commercial stage medical device company that develops high performance liquid purification ultrafilters and an on-line mid-dilution haemodiafiltration system for the treatment of chronic renal failure patients, has announced the first commercial use of its haemodiafiltration (HDF) system in the USA. DaVita Kidney Care, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc is now delivering HDF treatment to select patients in Colorado Springs as part of a six-month trial programme. The firm says this marks the first commercial delivery of on-line HDF via the Nephros HDF system in the USA.
Membrane Technology
3
NEWS treatment project sales team in North America is having a positive impact on the company’s growth,’ said Frédéric Dugré, President and Chief Executive Officer, H2O Innovation. ‘This backlog coupled with on-going sales in the Specialty Products and Services division gives the company the ability to have a more efficient, more productive and, we believe, more profitable business operation.’ Contact: H2O Innovation Inc, 420 Boulevard Charest Est, Suite 240, Québec City, Québec, Canada G1K 8M4. Tel: +1 418 688 0170, www.h2oinnovation.com
MBR with MACarrier technology targets tough-to-treat wastewater
G
eneral Electric Co (GE) has introduced a new membrane bioreactor (MBR) with a membrane accommodating carrier (MACarrier) that is designed to help industrial companies meet stringent water discharge requirements and enable greater water reuse, whilst achieving cost-savings and increased operating efficiency. Developed by GE’s technology centre in China, specifically to deal with water that is difficult to treat, this system combines a highly efficient MACarrier with GE’s ZeeWeed 500D membranes. This integration enhances the removal of recalcitrant organics and toxicity, and can achieve a chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction of more than 50% compared with a MBR without the MACarrier, says the firm. In addition, the ability of the MACarrier to be biologically regenerated in the bioreactor cuts down on operational costs. ‘Our new MBR with MACarrier provides a system for treating wastewater that is high in COD, toxicity, BOD 5, phenols and other contaminants – in other words tough-totreat wastewater,’ said Yuvbir Singh, General Manager, Engineered Systems, Water and Process Technologies, GE Power & Water. ‘We are proud of this new innovation that helps our industrial customers safely discharge and reuse their wastewater.’ The MACarrier is a carbon-based product that is tailored for use with ZeeWeed 500D membranes and its efficacy for recalcitrant COD removal. The combined system draws together three technologies: the MACarrier that enhances the removal of COD, toxicity, phenols and other contaminates found in wastewa4
Membrane Technology
ter; the bioreactor, which removes suspended colloidal solids and reduces organic content and concentrations of nutrients; and membrane filtration as a physical membrane barrier to remove microorganisms found in wastewater. Contact: GE Water & Process Technologies, 4636 Somerton Road, Trevose, PA 19053-6783, USA. Tel: +1 215 355 3300, www.gewater.com
Cell processor features non-pelletising, membrane filtration
F
resenius Kabi, a global health care company that specialises in lifesaving medicines and technologies for infusion, transfusion and clinical nutrition, introduced its Lovo cell-processing system at the 2014 International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) annual meeting. Lovo, which is designed for laboratories, is described as an automated “cell-washing” system that removes supernatant from target cells and stores them in viable media. Lovo automates the labour-intensive tasks of separation, washing, platelet-depletion, fluid-exchange and concentration of living cells. The system includes singleuse, pre-sterilised processing sets for sterility assurance and is designed for use in a cGMP environment. According to Fresenius Kabi, the system’s proprietary spinning membrane technology, with intelligent auto-dilution, enables nonpelletising cell concentration, and a reduction in manual resuspension – all whilst maintaining low cell loss and good viability. It is currently undergoing evaluation for a broad range of cell therapy applications, says the firm. ‘We continue to evaluate the Lovo system for multiple applications, and the interim data we are seeing for T-cells has been consistent with the results to wash and concentrate white blood cells,’ said William Cork, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Medical Devices, Fresenius Kabi. ‘Fresenius Kabi will continue to test and evaluate the use of the Lovo across a variety of cell therapy applications and generate data this year on the operation, performance and usability of the device.’ In addition to the automated washing of white blood cells, the firm is evaluating red blood cell and bone marrow processing applications. Data presented at the 2013 ISCT demonstrated a 99% reduction of supernatant in a 200-ml source product in less than seven min-
utes. Lovo’s output volume ranges from 50 ml to 5 l, depending on cell type, cell concentration and source volume. (The 2013 data were collected using a prototype instrument.) Fresenius Kabi says that following the introduction of Lovo at ISCT, it anticipates launching it in the USA during the second half of 2014. It will be marketed to academic medical centres, biotechnology companies, blood centres and facilities that process cells for clinical trials. ‘Quality, consistency and speed are essential to institutions worldwide that process cells for patient care and research,’ added Christian Hauer, President, Medical Devices, Fresenius Kabi. ‘Lovo will automate time-consuming manual processes for faster, easier and more consistent results, and it offers the enhanced flexibility to process different cell lines.’ Contact: Fresenius Kabi USA, Three Corporate Drive, Lake Zurich, Il 60047, USA. Tel: +1 847 550 2300, www.fresenius-kabi.us/lovo
Abengoa acquires 25% of Chinese water company GreenTech
S
pain’s Abengoa Sa, which applies innovative technology in the energy and environmental sectors to promote sustainability, has acquired 25% of Beijing-based water company GreenTech. Established in 2004, GreenTech is a leader in wastewater treatment and reuse, and its current clients include companies from both the municipal and industrial sectors. The company claims that it has over 40 references in water treatment, with a combined capacity of around 2.1 million m3 per day. Abengoa, which considers China to be a key market in its long-term strategy, says it was responsible for the design, construction, and finance of the first desalination plant in the country – contracted under a public–private partnership model. The reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant is located in Qingdao, and is currently under contract to be sold to Abengoa’s local partner, Qingdao Water Group. Through the investment in GreenTech Abengoa will consolidate and expand its presence in China and reinforce its position in the global water-treatment market. In addition, it will continue to consolidate its strong position in the water sector through activities developed in the USA, Latin America, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Ghana, China, India and Spain.
July 2014